Kurt Anderson impressed with Arkansas’ 2018, 2019 in-state crop

Arkansas’ next two recruiting classes expect to feature a high volume of local talent.

The Razorbacks have five Natural State recruits committed in the 2018 class. If all five sign in December as expected, in-state players project to make up more than a third of the 2018 signees. All five are legitimate talents, all having at least four Power 5 offers. The 2019 class is shaping up to be even stronger, headlined by three 4-star recruits the Hogs have already offered.

These upcoming two in-state classes have the coaching staff excited about the future. That’s particularly the case with offensive linemen. The Hogs have two from within the state committed in the 2018 class — Luke Jones (Little Rock) and Noah Gatlin (Jonesboro). In 2019, they have a great shot to get 4-star tackle Darius Thomas, a teammate of Gatlin’s at Jonesboro. The importance of being able to stay within the state to find quality players isn’t lost on offensive line coach Kurt Anderson.

“I think it’s going to have a big positive impact,” Anderson said. “Hopefully for the next couple years as you look at the recruiting there’s some strong classes coming up here. This year and next year in terms of the state of Arkansas, which is obviously going to help this program.”

Arkansas defensive line commit Emmit Gooden has had fans questioning his pledge for weeks. Initially, it was his propensity to republish posts via Twitter about him ending up at Oklahoma. Now, Arkansas fans are also concerned over him flirting with the idea of visiting Southern California.

A report Wednesday from TrojanSports.com stated Gooden plans to take all five of his official visits, including one to USC. If that is indeed the case, he’ll likely have to de-commit from Arkansas. The Razorbacks have a policy of commits no longer being considered part of the class if they visit elsewhere.

The report also said the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Gooden remains “100 percent” committed to Arkansas and would only go elsewhere in the event of special circumstances. He stated such circumstances include a coaching change between now and his expected signing date in December or a losing record in the 2017 season.